


Soft Hearts, Electric Souls.

by Why_do_you_want_to_know



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angel Castiel (Supernatural), Angel Soul Bonds (Supernatural), Angst, Castiel Loves Dean Winchester, Dean Winchester Loves Castiel, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotionally Hurt Dean Winchester, Established love, Hunter Dean Winchester, Hurt Castiel (Supernatural), Hurt Dean Winchester, Hurt/Comfort, Kidnapping, M/M, Mute Dean Winchester, POV Outsider, Sam Winchester Ships Castiel/Dean Winchester, Selectively Mute Dean Winchester, Soul Bond, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates, angelnapping, but they are not together, no beta we die like men, or i guess....., yet - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-27
Updated: 2019-12-31
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:22:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,721
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21586063
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Why_do_you_want_to_know/pseuds/Why_do_you_want_to_know
Summary: A shop selling Supernatural creatures.A long lost soulmate.A mute hunter and a stolen Angel.Things are going to get interesting.
Relationships: Castiel & Sam Winchester, Castiel/Dean Winchester, Dean Winchester & Sam Winchester
Comments: 38
Kudos: 191





	1. Rosalin's POV

**Author's Note:**

> Hello!!  
> Thanks so much for clicking on my Story. Title is from "House of Memories" by Panic! at the disco.  
> The first chapter of this is from Rosalin's POV, the second will be from Dean's and then Cas' for the final chapter. Rosalin is my made up character but other than that I own nothing.  
> Hope you enjoy!!

Rosalin smiled as some new customers stepped into her shop. She was very proud of her little….. pet shop. It was slightly complected. On the outside, she was a pet shop. She sold dogs and cats and fish and rodents… you know, the normal stuff. But downstairs, that's where the magic really happened. Downstairs she had the best of her stock, the exclusive pets for only those of the highest status. She had wendigos, vampires, demons, werewolves and, her piece de resistance, an angel.

The pair who had just walked in, who were hunters if their clothes and body language could be trusted, talked for a moment with Alex, her shop assistant, before being gestured down the narrow corridor. Ah, so they were here for her… special stock.

She used to be shocked whenever hunters walked in, shocked and concerned that they were there to kill all her creatures and put her out of business. But now she realised that it was in their interests to keep her open. They could come in and get ingredients for spells - if they were so inclined - or they could get the creatures they needed for whatever else hunters wanted to do with them. She firmly believed in the whole, 'the less I know the better' thing.

She watched them for a moment. There were two men, they looked about 20 and there was a taller one and a smaller one; Rosalin couldn't tell if they were lovers, brothers or just hunting partners, but they were clearly close. They were communicating with hand gestures which looked suspiciously a lot like sign language. The taller man had long brown hair and held himself in a way which screamed confidence, like he knew what he was there for and he knew how to get it. The shorter man - he was still taller than Rosalin but compared to his partner - had short, dusty blond hair, but it was the way he held himself which really shone out. He was curled in on himself, like he just wanted to hide from the world, and he kept on rubbing his left shoulder, a nervous habit which he barely seemed to notice. 

"Hello." She said with a smile as she walked out from where she had been lurking, walking over to where the pair were awkwardly standing. "I'm Rosalin, I own this store. I assume you are looking for a creature?"

"Yes, we are." The taller man who she assumed was probably the older one, judging from their body language, said. He was tall and well-built but Rosalin wasn't threatened, he was clearly not here for a fight, he wouldn't dare make a scene. He hadn't given their names, but that wasn't new. Hunters often tried to avoid being tracked. The man squeezed his partner's shoulders in what looked like encouragement, "we need to obtain a very particular creature" He said with a tight smile.

Rosalin smiled even wider as she looked at the other man. He had bowed legs and a haunted look in his dull green eyes, and she could already tell what was going on here. Whatever creature they needed, they needed it to help him. Whether they needed it for a spell or something else, it was for the smaller man and she was sure she would be able to get plenty of money out of them.

"We are looking for a very particular breed and had heard that you may have one." The man continued, pushing one of his long, brown locks out of his eyes. It was then that Rosalin realised something, she had yet to hear the smaller man speak. He just stood there, looking at the ground and looking completely defeated. She couldn't help but wonder whether that was what they had been doing earlier, speaking in sign language because he couldn't speak.

"What breed would that be?" Rosalin asked tightly. She never liked it when people said they had heard about her; her business wasn't exactly legal after all.

"An angel." The taller man said clearly, his eyes hard and full of challenge. Challenging her to say that she didn't have any angels or to question whether she had heard him correctly.

"An angel." She repeated, trying to hide the glee in her voice. She had been trying to get rid of that pest for months, but it just wasn't right for a family pet; it was too feisty and too scarred. "You heard correctly, come this way." She may have been wrong, but she could have sworn she saw the shorter man brighten up when she said that she had an angel.

She gestured for them to follow her as she started walking down the dimly lit corridor, the carpet disappearing and turning into stone slabs about half way down and the brightly coloured wallpaper turning into plain plasterboard. No one cares about looks back here, they were there for what was at the end of the corridor.

They passed the first section of cages without stopping, neither Rosalin nor the hunters caring about the yells of wolves and wendigos. She led them through another door and there were there, facing a single cage which was about twice as big as all the previous cages.

"Here we are," she said, waving her hands in a flourish, "an angel." The aforementioned angel was standing in the far corner, shirtless - because angels didn't need shirts - with its wings hidden in a different plane of existence and it's head bowed in fake defeat. Rosalin had learnt early on that it may act defeated, but as soon as it sees an opening it's back to fighting. The angel - she had never been able to wrangle its name out of it, it would just say "it's not mine to give away" - had its back to where she and the hunters were standing and a bag over its head. Rosalin would not give him the opening it was looking for.

"Can we see him closer up?" The taller man asked, turning to look at Rosalin while his partner was just frozen, except from his hand which was back to rubbing at his shoulder, his eyes fixed on the bag over the angel's face as though if he stared hard enough it would disintegrate and he would see its face.

"Yes…" Rosalin said slowly, "but you must stay on this side and it must stay on that side." She decided that saying that sounded both fair and would keep her angel away from these hunters until money was exchanged. It may have been her imagination, but she thought she saw the shorter hunter flinch when she said "it", obviously though that would make no sense. Hunters didn't believe monsters were anything more than scum, they wouldn't care about pronouns.

"Ok." The man said while his partner nodded quickly, still not making a sound.

Rosalin unlocked the cage, using one of her keys on the large key ring attached to her belt and walked into the cage. She stayed quiet as she walked over, grabbing the angel’s hands and dragging it over to the bars of its cage. "Here we are, an angel up close and personal."

As soon as the angel heard her words, as though it had just realised what was going on, it started struggling. It tried to pull its hands free and tried to kick out and everything, but she had a secret weapon. She gently reached back and pinched the back of its neck, smiling as it immediately stilled. It wouldn't fight back, now it just desperately wanted her to let go, she could tell from how it was so still. It hoped that if it stayed as still as possible, she would let go and it would be able to breathe easy once again. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the smaller hunts glaring at her, the most emotion she had seen out if him since meeting. She couldn't help but wonder if he knew, if he knew why this stopped the angel in its tracks.

Pinching the back of the neck was an angel thing. To be completely honest, Rosalin didn't actually fully know what it meant, but she did know it was some way of saying the general sentiment of "I love you, I trust you, I want to stay with you." Now obviously, Rosalin didn't mean any of that, and the angel knew that, but the angel was also part of a mated pair and angels mate for life, so it hated Rosalin pinching the back of its neck. To the angel, it was like cheating and angels never cheat. Once she was sure he wasn't going to fight, sure he had learnt his lesson, Rosalin let go.

"Thank you." The man muttered absentmindedly, and it took Rosalin a moment to figure out he meant for bringing the angel over, not for letting go. He peered at the angel, "I don't suppose there's a chance of you removing the hood?"

Rosalin shook her head so quickly she was sure she was going to give herself whiplash, "no, definitely not."

The man nodded, as though he expected that answer, and continued peering. Rosalin saw as he noticed the scars that littered the angel - from when it misbehaved - the fresh bruises which mapped it's body - self-inflicted, even with the hood on, it wouldn't give up trying to escape - and worst of all, when his gaze inevitably landed on the green, flaming pentacle sitting on its left peck, above its heart. "What's that?" He asked, nodding towards the mark and Rosalin knew better than to lie, this man was a hunter and his tone told her that he knew exactly what it was, he was just confused over why it was there.

"That's a mating mark." She muttered. She tried her best to ignore saying any more, giving any more details. They may be hunters, but they didn't seem as hard and emotionless as all the others, there was a large chance they would believe that this was too cruel, even for them.

"I know that." The hunter said impatiently, rolling his eyes, "I want to know why it's there." His eyes were still glued on the green mark, but it was the smaller hunter who really drew Rosalin's gaze. He was back to rubbing his shoulder, his green eyes unblinking and fixed on the mark. There appeared to be tears gathering in his eyes, but Rosalin didn't have time to figure out what that meant, the taller man was still waiting for an answer.

"It's there because it's a bonded angel." She eventually spat out, fire in her tone. She glared at its mark, the stain which had ruined Rosailn's life for so long. Religious fanatics who wanted an angel for their relations to the almighty, hated how a flaming pentacle - the mark of Satan - marked its skin and refused to listen to her reasoning. People who wanted it for a family servant didn't want it, because everyone who knew anything about angel mates knew that once they were bonded, as soon as it's mate died so would it - and it's mate wouldn't live a very long lie without the angel there, the bond would steal its energy and with no angel to keep the balance, they would wither away - so it was no longer completely immortal. That mark had always caused her so many problems and she couldn't even sell it with its mate, like most people would with a bonded angel, because she had no idea where it was. The angel was already bonded by the time she came to own it and no one had any hope of figuring out where it when he bonded. It could have been anyone.

"Hmmmmmmm," the hunter muttered, glancing at his brother. His brother threw his hands up in what Rosalin was now certain was sign language and whatever he said didn't surprise his brother, he nodded and said, "well it's going to ruin a few of our plans, so we are going to need a reduction, but I think we'll take him."

Rosalin barely even noticed the use of pronouns, just nodded quickly. She just wanted to clean her hands of the angel, "ok, but I don't do returns." She said. She normally did returns, but not this time. She refused to go through that all over again.

"Ok, that's fine." The man said with a wide smile, handing over a bundle of cash which Rosalin counted before opening the cage in return.

"It's all yours." She said before pushing the angel out of the cage and watching them walk off. She had definitely gotten the better deal here. She finally got rid of the angel and they were stuck with the rogue angel who could drop dead at any moment.


	2. Dean's POV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Second Verse, Same As The First.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BTW, This doesn't follow Canon timeline, but they have the bunker.
> 
> Hope you enjoy!!!

Dean couldn't hold back the hope which bubbled up every time he looked at the shop in front of them. It was small and dark and in Dean's opinion, it smelled, but he wasn't there for the yippy dogs or hissing cats, he was there for the stuff in the back.

Sam walked straight over to the shop assistant and started talking to her, asking her where the special stuff was and all that, while Dean held back and looked around. He couldn't see anything suspicious but everyone they had talked to had pointed them to here. The shop assistant - Alex her name tag said - pointed them down a small and even darker corridor, with the added flourish of the words "what you are seeking is down there." Personally, Dean thought it just made them seem tacky and fake, but it wasn't like he was about to voice his opinions.

They stood just inside the corridor, not wanting to go too deep on their own, and started talking. Well, signing. Dean hadn't spoken for…. Years. Probably for the last 9 years. He wasn't even sure if he still could. It wasn't like he was planning to be mute forever, just - just until he was whole again. He hadn't felt complete since he was 15 years old and he knew he wasn't going to be complete again unless their mission paid off.

"This one seems promising." Sam signed with a smile, clearly trying to pretend that everything was ok and that his brother wasn't falling apart bit by bit, day by day.

Dean signed back an affirmative, but he wasn't really feeling it. He wasn't sure how much longer he could do this, how much longer he could go from collected to collector, owner to owner, hoping against all hope that they would have the one single angel which could save him. He rubbed his left shoulder absentmindedly, he had been doing it for years and didn't even mean to anymore, it just happened when he was nervous, lonely, or thinking about **him**. "I can't keep doing this." He signed, he knew Sam didn't want to give up, they both knew that giving up on the hunt would mean giving up on Dean as well, but enough was enough, Sam needed his life back.

"No we can't ju-" Sam started saying, speaking aloud in his shock, but Dean stopped him with some quick signs.

"I can't keep doing this. If he isn't here, then we stop."

Sam looked like he was about to argue again, when a woman walked over, silencing him with her presence. "Hello." She said with an obviously fake smile as she came to a stop in front of them. Dean hadn't seen her earlier and he had the weirdest feeling that she had been lurking, watching them. He didn't trust her, but he wasn't the worst person they had dealt with during this whole mission. "I'm Rosalin, I own this store. I assume you are looking for a creature?" Dean had a good look at Rosalin. She was small, plump, and clearly not short on cash. She was wearing clothes which clashed in colours almost as much as her shop did and she appeared to have some blood behind her ear, hidden by hair but not hidden to a hunter. Dean couldn't help but wonder what kind of blood it was. Was she feeding a vampire? Torturing a wendigo? Was it just normal blood from a steak? He probably would ever know, but at least he knew it couldn't be from an angel. Angel's don't bleed, and they can only cry in specific circumstances.

"Yes we are." Sam spoke up, used by now to speaking for both himself and his brother, "we need to obtain a very particular creature." Sam smiled tightly, clearly choosing his words carefully to hide their true intentions. Dean could tell that Sam didn't like it any more than Dean did, but they needed to do this. It was all they had been doing since they figured out where Dean's voice had gone, since they figured out what was happening to him - why he was constantly quiet and weak. He couldn't hunt anymore, and dad had thrown him out fairly quickly, claiming that Dean was no longer human.

Rosalin smiled widely, in a way which set Dean on edge, and unashamedly stared at Dean. He could feel her eyes on him, noticing his pale complexion, bow legs and sunken eyes. He could feel her drawing to conclusions, he could tell that she knew that whatever they needed, they needed it for him, she just didn't know what for. She couldn't know what for. He could practically hear her scheming of how to get extra money out of them but Dean didn't care. The chances of her actually having what they were looking to buy was slim.

So why wouldn't his heart get the message and give up on its damn hope?

"We are looking for a very particular breed and had heard that you may have one." Sam continued, his voice was firm, but Dean - having known his brother for 20 years - could hear the hope and worry undercutting the firmness. Dean didn't bother looking up to look at the woman, they had done this so many times in so many different shops. Why would this one be any different?

The woman paused for a moment, clearly thinking about something before asking tightly "What breed would that be?" Dean could hear the uncomfort in her tone, he could understand, people who sold illegal creatures didn't normally enjoy their information being passed around.

"An angel." Sam said, challenge filling his tone. They both knew that this woman had an angel, and Sam was challenging her to say otherwise. They'd had many instances when that happened, people taking one look at them and deciding they weren't worth showing their angels. Those had been the wrong angels anyway, but it was still annoying.

"An angel." Rosalin repeated. She kept her tone neutral, but Dean hadn't been speaking for the last 9 years, he had gotten good at listening and he could hear the glee in her voice. This didn't bode well for the two of them. "You heard correctly, come this way." Dean couldn't stop the bright hope from flaring up inside him. Them having an angel was step one.

Rosalin gestured for them to follow her down a dimly lit corridor and Dean was instantly on edge. He knew that they wouldn't sell illegal creatures right at the front of the store, but still - following a suspicious woman down a dark corridor with no carpet and the screams of monsters coming from further down it, well that was all it took to remind Dean that some people wouldn't count him as fully human himself.

None of them even blinked as they passed the cages of monsters, but Dean did feel the breath catch in his throat as they walked through another door and ended up face to face with a cage at least twice as big as the others. He could feel the energy surrounding it, whatever was inside was a powerful angel, who was full of rage and….. was that loss? It had been awhile since they had actually seen an angel - the last couple of places hadn't had one - and he hadn't ever had any one to teach him how to use this new sense, he just gained it one day, along with the mark on his shoulder.

"Here we are," Rosalin said with an annoying flourish of her arms, like the angel was some kind of prize pig, "an angel." Dean took a moment to glare at her, he had met angels, he knew they weren't like other monsters. They weren't mindless creatures, they were - they were…. Thy were just as human as Dean himself was. They had emotions, they cared, they loved. But Dean knew they couldn't save them all, all he could do to those he couldn't save was let the presence of a marked soothe their grace, give some slight magical assistance, and hope they would be able to escape.

Dean carefully breathed in through his nose to try and calm his hope, before turning slowly and looking at the angel. He was standing in the corner, shirtless with his wings - understandably - hidden away and his head bowed in what looked like defeat. Even though his stance was clearly submissive, Dean could feel the angel’s energy and he was clearly just waiting for the right moment, gathering his energy. Rosalin clearly knew that as well though, because he had a bag over his head stopping him from seeing. Dean decided that even if he didn't turn out to be the right angel, Dean would make sure to give that bag a little magical nudge, to try and help his escape.

"Can we see him closer up?" Dean vaguely heard Sam ask. His spatial awareness, which was always on high alert, told him that his brother had turned to look at the woman, but Dean was too busy staring at the angel to play much attention. There was something… familiar about the angel’s grace. Something soothing and soft and standing here, with the grace seeped on all of the walls - the angel must have been here for ages - just felt right.

It felt like coming home.

He gently rubbed his shoulder, both out of nervous habit, but also to see if something would happen. Could anything happen? Despite…. Well, everything, Dean actually knew only the bare minimum about the mark on his arm, about what he could do. He stared angrily at the bag, hoping that if he glared enough the bag would just disintegrate. Obviously though, he wasn't that lucky. 

"Yes, but you must stay in this side and it must stay in that side." Rosalin said, Dean wasn't paying much attention, but the use of the word 'it' caused him to flinch. The angel wasn't an it, he was clearly a he, Dean could feel it through the angel's grace. 

Dean nodded quickly and could hear Sam say "ok". This was it, as soon as the angel was closer, he would be able to know. He would know if this was _his_ angel.

The woman unlocked the cage, using one of the many keys Dean now noticed hanging on the belt around her waist. Her footsteps were quiet as a mouse as she walked across the space of the cage before she suddenly grabbed the angel’s hands and grabbed him over. Dean winced on his behalf, he couldn't imagine how horrible it would be to have someone drag you around while blindfolded. "Here we are, an angel up close and personal." She announced, her voice annoyingly cheery.

Almost instantly, the angel started struggling. Dean could feel the angel’s panic and anger as he tried to pull his hands free and kick and do whatever he could do to escape, but before he could get any closer to freedom, Rosalin pulled a dirty trick to stop him in his tracks.

She gripped the back of the angel’s neck surprisingly gently, but that didn't change anything. She was still doing it, and that was unforgivable. He remembered when Cas first did it to him, first pinched the back of Dean's neck with a gentle smile. Dean had been so confused until Cas had explained what it meant. Then he had just felt blessed, and here was this woman, taking advantage of the angel’s natural instinct to only allow a mate to do that. He glared at Rosalin, hoping that all his hatred managed to translate into the look.

Rosalin eventually let go and Dean finally felt like he could breathe again; he saw the angel relax ever so slightly as well, they were clearly both glad that she had let go.

"Thank you." Sam said absentmindedly, in just the right tone that the woman would think he was talking about bringing the angel over, but Dean knew the truth. Sam didn't exactly know what it meant, but he did know that gripping an angel around the back of the neck when you weren't mates was an awful thing to do. "I don't suppose there's a chance of you removing the hood?" He added on, knowing how important it was to find the correct angel. Dean almost smiled at his brother, but he was too busy looking at the angel, possibly his angel.

The woman shook her head quickly, "no, definitely not." And Dean hated her even more. He hated anyone keeping an angel prisoner, but he hated this woman more than most. Her attitude, her tone, her movements, she was just horrible and annoying. It was an awful mix.

Sam nodded, both he and Dean had been expecting that. Anyone who felt they needed to cover their angel's head to stop them from escaping, was unlikely to just give them a perfect opening. Despite expecting it, Dean couldn't stop the slight disappointed which bubbled up in his chest.

Dean looked to his side, to see what Sam seemed to be making of the whole situation, but Sam wasn't looking back, he was peering at the angel's topless torso. Dean gulped before following his brothers gaze, he had been trying to avoid looking at the angel's skin, he could feel _something,_ and he didn't think he could survive seeing the scars which inevitably covered the angel’s torso.

Just as he expected, the angel's torso was covered in scars, bruises and other marks which filled Dean's heart with pain and sadness. He wondered what the angel could have possibly done to get some of those marks, but before he could think much about any of them one particular mark stole his breath.

At first glance, he had assumed it was just another bruise. He hadn't been paying enough attention and his eyes had just slid past it, now his gaze was locked on it and he couldn't even remember to breathe.

All he could do was stare at the green, flaming pentacle, sitting above his heart.

"What's that?" Sam asked the woman, but Dean felt like he was underwater. He couldn't hear properly, and his vision was tunnelled onto that one mark.

"That's a mating mark." Rosalin muttered, her voice filled with what sounded like disdain, but Dean wasn't really listening to her. Why would he? She had said it was a mating mark and that was all he needed to know.

It was a mating mark.

"I know that, I want to know why it's there." Sam was still speaking to the woman, impatience filling his tone, but Dean's mind was reeling.

Green, the colour of his eyes.

A flaming pentacle, an anti-possession tattoo, just like the one John had gotten Dean when he was 7 years old.

A mating mark, just like the blue handprint on Dean's shoulder.

"It's there because it's a bonded angel." Rosalin spat, but Dean already knew that. He knew that because he was his bonded angel. He was his mate.

He remembered when the light blue handprint had first appeared on his shoulder. He hadn't been that shocked, it was the exact colour of Cas' eyes and had clearly come from him; Dean had just been confused about what it meant. Cas had explained that it meant they were bonded, that they belonged together forever and that - despite the fact that Cas was immortal - once he died Cas would follow him to Heaven so they could stay by each other’s sides forever. Cas had explained the mark and then shown Dean his mark, showing that they both had marks which represented each other. It hadn't been much later that John had dragged them out of town, both Dean and Cas promising they would find each other again. And as soon as Dean realised that Cas had been taken, he started his search. He had a promise to keep.

Dean could feel tears gathering in his eyes as he rubbed at his shoulder. It was Cas. He had finally found him. He was finally compete.

"Hmmmmmmm." Sam muttered, breaking Dean out of whatever trance that green mark - the green mark which Dean had caused - had put him in. 

Dean quickly threw his hands up, signing "It's him." Again and again and now that he had admitted it he didn't seem to be able to stop. It was really him, it was really Cas.

Sam didn't look surprised at all, but then again most angels didn't have a flaming pentacle as their mate mark, with a small smile he turned to look at Rosalin, "well it's going to ruin a few of our plans," he said, referring to the mating mark and hiding the fact that it actually made all their plans pay off, "so we are going to need a reduction, but I think we'll take him." Even though Dean knew his brother was lying through his teeth so that they didn't have to pay too much to get his angel back, it still made Dean bristle up hearing Cas being talked down to and hearing his own brother talk like Cas was just an object.

The woman nodded quickly, greed and relief filling her eyes as she said, "ok, but I don't do returns." Dean could tell she was lying but he didn't care. It was Cas, why would he ever want to return him?

"Ok that's fine." Sam said with a wide smile, the joy he was feeling at finally managing to reunite Cas and Dean bleeding into his expression. He handed over a bundle of cash which the woman counted before opening the cage door. Dean could feel his heart rate increased at the thought of seeing Cas again, and he knew that Cas would be able to hear it too. He couldn't wait to be face to face with Cas once more.

"It's all yours now." The woman said before pushing Cas out of the cage. Dean didn't wait for her to say anything else before walking off, knowing that Sam would have grabbed Cas and would be following. They didn't know what would happen when Dean and Cas got reunited so had both decided to wait until they got back to the bunker to find out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed!!  
> If you did and would like to brighten my day, please leave kudos and comments!!#  
> Last chapter will be from Cas' point of view and will cover what happens when they get back to the bunker.


	3. Cas's POV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, it's taken me longer than I thought it would to get this chapter posted.   
> But here i am.  
> Also, i don't know how, but in this universe they have the bunker..... Don't think too hard about it.  
> Hope you enjoy this chapter!!

Castiel thrashed against the hands that held him. He needed to escape, he needed to get out into the world. He had a promise to keep, and he couldn't do that in whatever cage this person was taking him to, anymore than he'd been able to do it in his last cage.

He couldn't see anything with the hood over his head, but he could tell that the person holding him bought him from Rosalin and that there was a second person around, but they hadn't spoken and Castiel couldn't get a read on them. It was odd, they didn't feel quite human, but they couldn't be angel or Castiel would be able to sense it and they couldn't be bonded or else their angel would be there. An angel never left their mate.

Well, an angel shouldn't leave their mate. That just showed how awful an angel he was.

The hood around Castiel's head wasn't removed and yet he had an odd feeling that these new buyers were going to be nothing like his previous owner. It was the other person, the one he couldn't feel, which told him this. He had always been able to sense everyone, if he couldn't sense them then something was going to happen. After years of normalcy, stuff was about to start happening.

Suddenly, they stopped walking. Castiel heard the sounds of a key and a door opening and closing again. Ah, they had stopped because they had reached their car. Castiel waited, expecting any moment for him to be contorted into the boot for travel, but instead another door opened and he was pushed inside. Sure, there was still a hood over his head and they had just bought him and he didn know where he was going, but he was sitting in the back of a car. He couldn't remember the last time this happened! Actually, that's a lie. The last time he was sat in the back of a car and not the boot or the back of a lorry was…. Nope. He was not letting his thoughts drift there. Not when he was so close to being reunited with his mate. All he had to do was escape and go and find him.

Easy right?

The car journey was long, and extremely boring. Flying was so much quicker and he couldn't even look out the window to pass the time. He was trapped alone with his thoughts just like he had been for the past 9 years.

As soon as the car stopped, he heard the drivers door open and retreating footsteps. The driver still hadn't gotten within two metres of Castiel and he still couldn't get a read on them. It was… unnerving at the very least.

"Come on." The voice of his new owner said as the man gently grabbed his wrist and started leading him somewhere. "Just in here, mind the steps." And then they were walking inside, into a chilly open space if Castiel's grace was to be trusted.

The door clanged closed and a hesitant movement caught the attention of Cas' grace. It was the person he couldn't sense, walking towards him, slowly.

A hand reached out and the bag started being pulled and Cas was ready. He was ready to escape or die trying. He. Was. Ready.

What he wasn't ready for, was the bright green soul which entered his vision as soon as the hood was gone. The green was so familiar and comforting that Cas forgot trying to run, he forgot his plan for escape, he forgot everything but the there and then.

He recognised the eyes - even with how much duller they were since he had last seen them. He recognised the hesitant smile - even if its boyish charm had changed with age. He recognised the bright soul which danced beneath the man's skin - the soul he was incapable of forgetting.

"Dean?" He asked, the first thing he'd said since being bought.

Dean nodded, tears gathering in his eyes as he pulled up his sleeve, revealing the blue handprint staining his shoulder which Cas knew would be there.

He couldn't hold himself back. Dean was there. His mate was there. They were together again. He rushed forwards and crushed Dean into a hug, pulling Dean closer and closer until there wasn't even an inch between them. Bright light shone out of him, his grace filling the room in celebration. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the other man - Sam, Dean’s younger brother - cover his eyes, he was still affected by the light even while Dean wasn’t.

He could feel tears streaming down his cheeks and if the steadily growing wet patch on his shoulder was anything to go by, Dean was crying too. Angels don't cry, except when their mates were concerned.

"Cas." Dean whispered, his voice cracked and weak. Castiel heard a gasp from Sam and he turned his head to raise a quizzical eyebrow at the younger brother.

"That's the first time he's spoken since he realised you were gone." Sam explained quietly, staring at Dean wrapped in Cas' arms before turning his gaze to Cas, looking at him like he'd changed the world, "thank you." Sam said, before turning down one of the many corridors which lead off the room they were in.

A quick glance around, told Cas they were in some sort of underground bunker, in what looked like a strategy room. He stored that information away, to focus on later when he didn't have his hands full of crying mate.

For now, he had more important things on his mind than finding out where he was.

Cas could feel the space in his grace where Dean had been missing, slowly filling as he held him in his arms; feeling as the acute awareness of Dean filled his mind. Normal angels had that connection with their mates from the start, but Dean and he’d had about a million mountains to climb before they got here.

_ Exhaustion, emptiness, pain, silence,  _ trickled slowly into Cas' mind and he felt the tears on his face fall faster. In theory, he had always known that a human, separated from their angel mate, would get weak, tired and eventually probably die, but actually seeing it,  _ feeling _ it through their semi-formed bond, was something else entirely. He slowly reached his hand up, and pinched the back of Dean’s neck.  _ I’m here, I love you, it’s going to be ok, _ he knew it didn’t even start to make up for what his absence had put Dean through, but it was a start.

"Come on." He muttered softly, gently pulling Dean along with him, "oh." He suddenly paused, "I don't know where your room is." He laughed slightly at himself, even as he felt his heart crumbling just a little bit more. He didn't even know where Dean's room was, what else didn't he know? What else had he missed from his mate's life?

Dean pulled away from his arms slightly, grabbing onto Cas' hand and pulling him down the hallway and towards one of the rooms. Cas made a mental note of how they had gotten to it, so that he didn't get lost later on, before following Dean in and pulling them both onto the bed.

Dean quickly took the hint as he shifted himself even closer to Cas and closed his eyes, giving into his exhaustion and quickly slipping into sleep.

Cas smiled down at him, feeling the brokenness inside Dean's soul slowly fixing itself. 

Things were going to be ok.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed!!  
> If you did, please leave kudos and comments.
> 
> Also, just btw. This work says it is finished, but it isn't. There is a chapter 4 which i'm still writing, but i don't know when that will be done so i'm marking this as complete. If there is anything you really need to see from this universe, leave a comment and i'll see if i write it.
> 
> ANYWAY!!  
> Have an amazing day/night!!!


	4. Cas's POV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So....... everyone wanted Rosalin to get her just desserts and all that..... so I wrote that.... but then it switched POV half way through and so yeah........ you now get a chapter 4 and a chapter 5.........
> 
> Hope you enjoy!!!

Castiel smiled as he cooked breakfast. He felt fully charged and - for the first time in the last 9 years - whole. It was an amazing feeling and he honestly wondered how he had survived all those years without all this.

His grace was whole, and it was all thanks to the beautiful human who was sitting, blinking bleary-eyed at the kitchen table, sleep still sitting in the corner of his eyes while a small grin crossed his face. It was all thanks to his amazing mate, who he thought he was never going to see again. It was all thanks to Dean. 

He carefully turned the heat off and plated up the eggs and bacon, sliding it along the table to Dean along with a mug of coffee, while he plated up another plate for when Sam got back from his run. He saw how Dean's face lit up at the breakfast placed in front of him, and Cas couldn't help but laugh. He never knew true joy until he was with his mate.

Cas had only been staying in the bunker for a week, and he already felt like this was where he had always belonged, he just hadn't known it before now. He had never been more thankful for the stubborn personalities of these two men which meant they refused to give up on finding him - and saving Dean - until they managed.

A loud noise indicated the arrival of Sam, the metal door and echoey entrance making it impossible to enter silently. "Hey guys!" Sam called as the heavy door to the bunker clanged closed behind him and the sound of footsteps on the metal staircase echoed around.

"Hello Sam," Cas called back while Dean just grumbled slightly into his coffee, it was still too early for him to be awake, never mind to have gone out for a jog like his brother often did, "I've made breakfast."

He heard Sam walking towards the kitchen, and sensed as the human entered the room, so without even turning around he pointed at the food and said, "there you go," as he made another two coffees. One for Sam and one for himself. He didn't need coffee like the humans did, but he liked the taste.

He could feel something swirling on Dean's side of the bond. He felt worried and Cas was getting slightly concerned about what was wrong. It had been swirling and growing and pulsing since last night and although Cas had tried to stay out of it and let his mate sort it out himself, Cas was getting worried. He didn't like feeling useless while he could feel something dark coming from Dean. He was about to ask whether everything was alright, when Dean started talking, his voice quiet and hesitant.

"Hey Cas?" Dean asked slowly. Cas could hear a bit of apprehension in his voice and he was instantly on edge. Something was going on here and he had the feeling that Dean didn't think he would like it. That meant it was either going to be something bad, or something Dean thought was bad which was actually fine. Cas had no way of telling which it would be.

Cas wandered over, so that he was sitting in the chair next to Dean, close enough to comfort his mate, without being overbearing, and with a concerned smile answered. "Yes?" He made sure to keep his voice open and to send waves of support through their bond, he could tell that Dean needed it.

"You know that woman, the one who kept you captive?" Dean's voice was wavering and Cas was stuck between helping his mate, and being sucked into his memories. In the end, only one side could win. Cas winced at the mention of  _ that  _ woman, but he nodded again, not saying anything because he could sense that Dean wasn't finished yet. "Is it bad I want to kill her?"

Cas heard Sam grab his plate and start to leave the room with a quick, "this sounds like a private conversation, I'll be in my room." He was extremely thankful that Sam was so thoughtful like that. Dean clearly relaxed slightly once his brother was out of the room and it gave Cas more space to figure everything out.

He turned Dean's words over in his mind a couple of times. He did know that angels were extremely protective of their mates, so it made sense that their mates would be extremely protective of them. In fact, it made perfect sense for Dean to want to kill her, Cas did as well, so maybe it was also trickling across the bond.

"I don't think it's bad." Cas started slowly, choosing his words carefully. "She held me captive for years, she kept us apart and if you didn't find me, would have ended up killing the both of us."

Dean nodded, "yeah, that sounds about right." Cas could see that he was still a bit unsure about the whole thing; he wasn't quite used to the angel bond. Dean had spent most of his life searching for Cas, but he still found himself shocked by the strength of the emotions he felt with Cas. Cas mainly just thought it was adorable, but he express those thoughts out loud, Dean wouldn't appreciate being called adorable.

"You're thinking too loud." Cas muttered, pulling him into a tight hug and pressing his face into Dean's fluffy hair. He breathed in deeply, revelling in the fact that Dean was here. His mate was here, safe in his arms, and Cas was never going to let him go.

"I'm sorry, it's just…." Dean started rubbing his hands together, "I'm a monster hunter, but I've never wanted to kill a human as much as I do right now."

"It's ok." Cas whispered, "I want to kill her too."

"Then why don't we?" Asked Sam from the doorway. Apparently he had decided that the private part of their conversation was over, despite how they were wrapped up together.

"Because she's human?" Dean pointed out, his tone showing that he thought that it was obvious. Cas wondered where Sam was going with this, but he kept his mouth closed.

"Yeah, but is she really?" Sam asked with a smirk. Cas couldn't hold in the light chuckle at his tone. When Dean turned on him, with confusion filling his gaze, he just shrugged.

"He's got a point." Cas said slowly, "she was pretty monstrous."

Dean sighed, and without even meaning to, Cas delved into Dean's side of their bond. He could feel that a small part of Dean's mind was arguing that she was still human, but a larger part of him revelled in the idea of killing her. He could feel joy bubbling up in his human at the thought of killing the woman who had hurt Cas, and he could tell that it scared Dean.

"It's ok." Cas muttered to Dean, "it's ok."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed!!! Next chapter shouldn't be too long now!!
> 
> Have an amazing day/night!!!!


	5. Dean's POV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The End.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow!! Final chapter!! And I'm 90% sure this actually is the final chapter!!
> 
> Anyway..... I know last chapter was out literally...... 2 days ago or smt...... But I want to get this fic finished before 2020..... (WAIT...... How is it nearly 2020....... i thought it was still 2015 or smt)
> 
> ANYWAY ANYWAY..... If anyone is here because they like my writing (and not just this story) I'm planning to start posting a long fic in the new year. A high school AU with some magic thrown in there..... so yeah, if anyone's interested in that it'll be around.
> 
> Sorry about the long notes....... I'll let you go and read this chapter now..... HOPE YOU ENJOY

Dean wasn't quite sure how he'd been talked into this, but here they were, standing outside of the cursed pet shop, getting ready to kill a human. To be fair, he could have probably argued a little harder, but it was hard to argue when half your instincts were screaming that she deserved it.

And to be honest, she really did deserve it, possibly more than some of the monsters they hunted, one glance to where Cas was standing by his side was all that was needed to confirm that. Cas had his brave face on, but Dean could feel through the bond that he was actually just a ball of nervous energy and fear.

The pet shop looked different this time. It looked emptier, less ominous and more plain. Dean couldn't quite tell whether the change was real - some kind of reaction to Cas leaving, his grace slowly draining away and leaving the shop good of the magic which had filled it last time they were there, calling to Dean to enter and find what was within - or whether it was all in his head - a different perspective. Last time he'd been there, he had been on the verge of death and had been about to give up, now he had Cas back, he had a future, he had hope.

"It's ok," he whispered grabbing Cas' hand, "I'm here this time." He sent waves on comfort through the bond, or tried to anyway. He was new to this whole bond thing, he couldn't tell whether he was sending comfort or just failing miserably.

Cas sent him a grateful smile, which Dean took to mean he had managed to send emotions, and then they were walking in. Cas blended in perfectly with the brothers now that he had clean clothes and looked healthier, he was no longer a side step away from death. The person at the front desk happily sent toward the back to 'go and buy a special creature'. Apparently they weren't memorable enough to be recognised.

They all walked slowly down the same old dark and cold corridor. It was definitely different this time, the anticipation and fear which had filled Dean last time were gone, fury and an urge for justice taking their place and making the stone corridor look less like a walkway into hell and more like the journey to the end.

Rosalin's face when she saw them was priceless.

She had clearly never expected to see Cas again, and when she caught sight of Cas and Dean's clasped hands, she looked like she was about to pass out.

"You- you," she stuttered, pointing at each of them one at a time, "what are you doing back?" Clearly Rosalin recognised them, even if the front of her shop didn't. Saying that, she probably struggled to forget Cas, after keeping him captive. 

It was incredibly clear to Dean that it wasn't what she truly wanted to ask. She really wanted to know why Cas wasn't dead. She probably also wanted to know whether Dean was Cas' mate, but that was none of her business.

"We are here to end this." Cas said, his voice filled with righteous fury. Sam and Dean both stepped backwards, allowing Cas to face Rosalin on his own. They were there, but they could tell that Cas needed to do this. Dean swallowed hard, he knew that the fury he could feel pulsing from Cas wasn't directed at him - could feel it on his very soul that Cas would never hurt him - but that didn't change how scared he was. Cas was terrifying when he wanted to be.

Rosalin turned to Sam and Dean, her own form of terror and anger burned in her eyes as she stepped forwards. Dean didn't know what she was planning to do, but he knew he wasn't going to like it. He could tell straight away that if Rosalin had her way, Dean would not be leaving that room alive. Before she could do anything, or get even a step closer to Dean or Sam, Cas stepped in front of her.

Rosalin opened her mouth, clearly about to argue or say  _ something _ \- maybe a threat or a taunt or a promise - but she didn't even manage to form a single syllable before Cas had grabbed her, his eyes glowing blue as he scowled down at the piece of scum in front of him.

She really shouldn't have underestimated an angels protective instincts.

Dean saw how Sam slammed his eyes closed and threw a forearm across his face, protecting his eyes from the bright glare of the grace they all knew was coming, but Dean didn't copy him. He knew that Cas' grace couldn't hurt him - even if for some odd reason Cas wanted to try and hurt Dean, every single part which made him an angel would stop him and protect mate - and he also knew that this was important, for both Cas and Dean. The woman who had kept them apart for so long, was going to die. She was going to disintegrate with the force of Cas' power and never harm either of them again. And Dean wanted to see it happen.

A bright light filled the shop, trickling into every corner and purifying every speck of dust. Once it had cleared there was nothing left.

Rosalin was gone, only a pile of dust remaining where she had stood just moments before.

"Way to go Cas," Dean whooped with a smile, throwing himself into his angels arms. She was gone. She would never hurt either of them again. The pure satisfaction which filled their bond - from both sides - took Dean by surprise, but he was too happy to worry about that.

Sam slowly unfolded himself, looking around slowly as he did so. He didn't seem too worried about where Rosalin was, and he didn't seem too shocked when his eyes eventually landed on the pile of ash she was reduced to.

"Come on, let's go home." Cas muttered into Dean's hair. Dean sighed, before slowly pulling away, grabbing Cas' hand and dragging him back out of the pet shop, Sam following behind them with a wide smile.

The girl at the front of the store looked at them suspiciously, but Dean just smiled. She wouldn't realise what had happened until later today, and by then Cas, Sam and Dean would be far away.

Dean could feel a certain lightness radiating off Cas now that Rosalin was dead and - however weird it sounded - it made him smile.

Cas was truly free now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading!!! I hope you enjoyed!!!
> 
> If you did, please leave kudos and comments!!
> 
> Hope to see some of you on future fics!!! BYEEEEEEE
> 
> Hope you all have an amazing 2020!

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed!!  
> If you did, please lave a comment!! They really do mean the world to me!!  
> Hope to see you on the next chapter!!


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